When is Special Operations Forces Day celebrated? Special Operations Forces Day Special Operations Forces Day 27

On Tuesday, February 27, Russia celebrates the Day of Special Operations Forces (SSO), a structure that unites army special forces. It was created in 2013 to effectively carry out “expeditionary missions.” The merits of Russian special forces include participation in operations in Crimea and Syria. Western analysts believe that the Forces are Moscow’s main instrument in conducting “new generation wars.”

Special Operations Forces (SSO) are a relatively new formation in the structure of the Russian Armed Forces. Its formation began in 2009, during the army reform, and was completed in 2013. Over the past five years, the Special Forces took part in the Crimean operation and combat operations in Syria.

"Polite people"

Experts and journalists call this date “the day of polite people” - it was on the night of February 27, 2014 that the transfer of Russian units to Crimea began.

The military blocked Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities on the peninsula and occupied administrative buildings.

In addition to MTR units, the operation included marines, paratroopers and motorized riflemen. The professional work of “polite people” made it possible to disarm a 30,000-strong group of Ukrainian troops practically without firing a single shot.

Meanwhile, the activities of the MTR are secret. The state has the right not to disclose information about the size and armament of the Special Operations Forces, and is also not obliged to report on the results of operations and losses incurred.

"Asymmetrical Actions"

Special operations forces are a single structure that includes army special forces units of different types and branches of the armed forces. The tasks of the MTR include conducting operations both on the territory of the Russian Federation and abroad.

The main governing body of the Special Operations Forces - the Command - is directly subordinate to the Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces (since November 9, 2012 - Valery Gerasimov).

Western think tanks are showing enormous interest in the activities of the MTR. Foreign experts believe that Russia created Special Operations Forces to more effectively conduct foreign expeditionary missions.

According to the West, the greatest contribution to the development of the MTR was made by Valery Gerasimov, who gained the image of a “hybrid war” strategist.

Foreign experts base similar conclusions on the article by the Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, “The Value of Science in Foresight,” which was published in the Military-Industrial Courier magazine at the end of February 2013.

In his material, Gerasimov said that the Russian General Staff was studying the organization of combat operations of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US experience, Gerasimov believes, has demonstrated the need to change “the existing models of operations and combat operations.”

“Asymmetric actions have become widespread, making it possible to neutralize the enemy’s superiority in armed struggle. These include the use of special operations forces and internal opposition to create a permanent front... The changes taking place are reflected in the doctrinal views of the leading countries of the world and are tested in military conflicts,” Gerasimov wrote.

View from the outside

A teacher at the Institute of National Security in Tel Aviv, Sarah Feinberg, in her article “Russian Expeditionary Forces in the Syrian Operation,” argues that the idea of ​​uniting “mobile intervention forces” arose during the war in Afghanistan (1979-1989). Then the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the USSR Ministry of Defense opposed the creation of the MTR. However, this idea reappeared on the agenda after two Chechen campaigns.

According to Fainberg, the use of GRU special forces and other elite units in the North Caucasus was successful and made it possible to offset the shortcomings in the combat training of combined arms units.

At the same time, Russian special forces experienced problems in planning and conducting operations due to insufficient coordination between the security agencies to which they were subordinate. In this regard, the need was realized to unite army special forces units into a single command structure under the control of the Chief of the General Staff.

Coherence and professionalism

Senior researcher at the Institute of the Norwegian Ministry of Defense, Thor Bookvoll, in materials devoted to the elite units of the Russian Armed Forces, notes that the core of the MTR is made up of GRU officers. Of the 14 thousand Special Operations Forces soldiers, 12 thousand are military intelligence officers.

Foreign analysts agree that the MTR arsenal includes the most modern weapons, uniforms and the latest military equipment, including communications systems and drones. Russian special forces can perform tasks at any time of the day and in any climatic conditions

"Training Camps"

Sarah Feinberg believes that Syria has become the main “military training camp” for Russian special forces. The tasks of special forces in the SAR include collecting intelligence, directing artillery and airborne forces fire, eliminating the leaders of gangs, conducting assault operations and sabotage activities.

“Syria truly represents the first territory in which Russia has coordinated and large-scale deployed and organized control over a contingent of expeditionary forces, including Special Operations Forces (SOF) and various categories of special forces,” notes Feinberg in the article “Russian Expeditionary Forces in the Syrian Operation.”

As the expert explained, the Syrian operation allows the Russian Special Forces to hone their skills “without additional burden on the military budget.” Fainberg estimates the size of the Russian special forces group in the SAR at 230-250 people. According to her, the successful work of the MTR in Syria testifies to the “revival of Russian military art.”

The presence of Russian special forces in Syria was first announced by Deputy Chief of Staff of the Central Military District Alexander Dvornikov on March 23, 2016. Nevertheless, Russian and foreign experts are confident that the SOF have been operating in Syria from the very beginning of the operation (September 30, 2015) or since the summer of 2015.

“I will not hide the fact that units of our Special Operations Forces are also operating in Syria. They carry out additional reconnaissance of targets for Russian aviation strikes, guide aircraft to targets in remote areas, and solve other special tasks,” Dvornikov said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

On December 11, 2016, the Rossiya 24 TV channel showed footage of the participation of Special Forces soldiers in battles in Aleppo, Syria. It is also known from the media that MTR soldiers participated in the liberation of Palmyra.

According to official data, during the entire period of the operation in the SAR, two special forces gunners were killed - captain Fyodor Zhuravlev (November 9, 2015) and senior lieutenant Alexander Prokhorenko (March 17, 2016). By order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zhuravlev was awarded the Order of Kutuzov posthumously, Prokhorenko was awarded the title of Hero of Russia, also posthumously.

In May 2017, information about the feat of the MTR group in the province of Aleppo was partially declassified.

16 Russian special forces, engaged in directing aircraft fire, entered the battle against 300 Jabhat al-Nusra militants*.

The special forces acted in coordination with government forces. However, the Syrians retreated in confusion and left the detachment without cover. Russian troops repelled several attacks and, when it got dark, mined the approaches to their positions.

“The fire density was high. But it was scary only in the first minutes, and then a banal routine begins,” said one of the officers.

The fighters held their positions for two days and were able to leave without losses. During the battle, the special forces destroyed several armored vehicles and a tank. Group commander Danila (last name not given), who received the title of Hero of Russia, noted that the key to success was the coordinated professional actions of his subordinates.

“The classified nature of the MTR’s activities is due to the fact that the fighters work outside of Russia. In Syria, special forces are deployed behind enemy lines to target the air forces. In my opinion, this is the most difficult and dangerous work. And, as far as I can judge, our guys are coping with it,” Golubev emphasized.

* “Jabhat Fatah al-Sham” (“Al-Nusra Front”, “Jabhat al-Nusra”) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated December 29, 2014.

Five famous operations of Russian special forces.
“Crimean Spring”, destruction of Gelayev’s detachment, storming of Grozny and other famous operations of Russian special forces

Every year, on February 27, starting in 2015, Russia celebrates “Special Operations Forces Day of the Russian Federation.” This memorable day was established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin No. 103 of February 26, 2015

Today in Russia they celebrate Special Operations Forces Day. This is a relatively new holiday - it was officially established only a year ago. The date itself, February 27, is very symbolic - it was on this day two years ago that a special operation began in Crimea, which helped reunite the peninsula with Russia.

Loy-Man base. Storming of Amin's palace. Afghanistan.

To disguise themselves, GRU special forces in Afghanistan often dressed up as local residents.

The first target was a warehouse near the village of Loi Mana. On February 14, the positions of the dushmans were attacked from the air, and then special forces landed from helicopters. They immediately captured camouflaged guns aimed precisely at the landing site - their crews died before they could reach the guns. Then all the buildings were cleared: while one group suppressed resistance with a barrage of fire, the other approached point-blank and threw grenades at the building.

After clearing the special forces, a surprise awaited them - there was nothing in the buildings. However, during the operation, they managed to capture a young Mujahideen, who almost immediately showed the real warehouse on the other side of the mountain. The structure was hidden right into the rock, and only a small “dressing room” stuck out. They opened fire from inside, but one of the soldiers climbed onto the roof and threw a grenade into the chimney.

Pavel Bekoev, the commander of the group that took the village of Loy-Man, will die a little over a month after the successful assault

A narrow and crooked corridor led into the cave, around the bends of which the Mujahideen fired back. The special forces began to roll grenades inside. They managed to push the Dushmans back, and then someone set fire to the signal squib - and it turned out that the battle was already going on in the plastic warehouse. At the risk of being blown up into the air, the special forces collected trophies (the scouts were especially interested in walkie-talkies of an incomprehensible design), and then retreated, installing a time bomb right in the rack with plasticine. After some time, the mountain was shaken by the explosion of several tons of explosives, mines and shells.

Reinforcements of the dushmans had already begun to approach the battlefield. The soldiers had to board the helicopters under fire, and this shelling cost them their only serious loss - two seriously wounded. Under the cover of Mi-24 strikes, the group went home.

Time of Troubles. GRU brigade in Tajikistan.

Soldiers of the 15th brigade in Tajikistan. On the left is Alexander Musienko, whom we will meet again in one of the following stories.

After the collapse of the USSR, turmoil began in many of its former republics. The situation in Tajikistan became especially difficult, where a Fallout mixed with a zombie apocalypse occurred: an incredibly brutal war between several factions at once, crowds of refugees, unsanitary conditions and hunger. Religious radicals were striving for power in the country. Fortunately, the 15th GRU special forces brigade, commanded by the well-known Colonel Kvachkov, was still stationed in neighboring Uzbekistan. Both Tashkent and Moscow understood how important it was to defeat the terrorist republic that was emerging in Central Asia.
In September 1992, the “Uzbeks” of the 15th brigade moved to Tajikistan - a detachment of one hundred people included the most experienced fighters, most of whom had been through Afghanistan. The main task was to train local militias and the young army of Tajikistan. However, in reality, the special forces had to do everything: accompany caravans with humanitarian aid, evacuate civilians and participate in hostilities themselves. Largely thanks to the actions of GRU advisers, it was possible to form the Popular Front of Tajikistan from disparate detachments, which became the basis for the future government of the country.

The most striking operation organized by the fighters of the 15th brigade was the liberation of the Karategin Valley in early 1993, where large forces of militants were concentrated. A group of 2,000 people was transported by helicopter to a depth of 150 kilometers - an amazing operation for a young army. The detachments consisted of militias, but each was assigned 2-3 fighters from the 15th brigade, who did everything at once: led the fighters, organized communications and reconnaissance, and directed helicopters to enemy positions.

The 15th Special Forces Brigade did not “live” to see the establishment of peace in Tajikistan - in 1996 the government of Uzbekistan reorganized it into a regular airborne brigade, and in 1999 it was completely disbanded.

Participants in the operation recall that if the valley had not been liberated, by the summer of 1993 the Islamists would have turned it into an impregnable fortress. After this and several other successful operations, the fighting began to decline, but the final truce in Tajikistan was concluded only in 1997.

Night hunters. 45th Airborne Regiment in Grozny

The airborne troops also have their own special forces - the 45th regiment, formed in February 1994 from two separate special forces units. In January 1995, it was the actions of the “northern” group, which included the 45th regiment, that finally made it possible to recapture Grozny from the militants.

The paratroopers entered the city after the failed New Year's assault. Grozny was like a layer cake: army units and militant detachments were mixed, and commanders often did not know what was going on in the neighboring streets. In such conditions, it was impossible to even organize supplies, let alone an offensive, so it was necessary to first gather the troops back together, and then, regrouping, liberate the city.
The 45th Regiment was temporarily joined by two dozen employees of the FSK Special Operations Directorate - former fighters of the KGB Vympel unit, which was considered elite even by the standards of special forces. The fighting took place at night. First, reconnaissance studied the block that was to be occupied, and sappers cleared the streets of other people's mines and laid their own. Then assault groups went on the attack - in order not to raise the alarm once again, the soldiers used night vision devices and silent weapons, such as pistols with silencers and the newest Vintorez sniper rifles at that time. After the capture, the building was occupied by motorized infantry, and the paratroopers began to prepare for the next assault. The “silent” style of work had a terrifying effect on the enemy: militants died for no apparent reason, sometimes entire groups disappeared without a trace. The special forces constantly changed tactics: they destroyed one of the militants’ dugouts, located in the basement, by placing plastic charges and bringing down the entire entrance on the enemy’s head.

On January 7, special forces stormed the 12-story building of the Institute of Petrochemistry - the so-called “candle”, from the roof of which the area of ​​the presidential palace, where the militants’ headquarters was located, was perfectly controlled. By January 19, the palace itself was occupied by the forces of the northern group. It was only possible to completely drive the militants out of the city by the beginning of March.

Climbers. The defeat of Gelayev's detachment

Alexander Musienko, who was hunting for Gelayev, is a typical special forces veteran: he fought in Afghanistan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Tajikistan and Chechnya, taking part in two hundred combat operations over twenty years.

At the beginning of 2004, GRU special forces and border guards managed to intercept and completely destroy the detachment of Ruslan Gelayev, one of the strongest commanders of Chechen militants, in the mountains. Having suffered heavy losses, Gelayev decided to make his way to Georgia through Dagestan, where his fighters were noticed by the locals. The Gelayevites killed a group of nine border guards who came out to check in an ambush. This is how the command learned that a large detachment of militants was operating in the area.
The search for the Gelayevites was led by GRU special forces colonel Alexander Musienko, who set up a command post right on board the helicopter. Several days of searching yielded nothing, and at headquarters they were already openly saying that the colonel was chasing ghosts. However, the enemy was soon discovered from the air. The first approach of the attack aircraft did not bring any results - the gorges were too narrow to destroy the hidden enemy. Then the commander of the Fourth Army, Vladimir Gorbas, took the helm of the Su-25. A fifty-year-old Afghan veteran, risking his life, placed bombs right on target from a dive, causing an avalanche that scattered a detachment of Gelayevites.

The pilots played a special role in this operation. They guided their Mi-8s through narrow gorges and landed on tiny spots, bringing up reinforcements and picking up the wounded. Once, the helicopter was kept inches from the rock while the fighters tied their comrades to the slings. For this desperate operation, Major Palagin, who piloted the car, received the star of the Hero of Russia.

The operation to destroy Gelayev’s detachment took more than two weeks.

An avalanche drove the remains of the Gelayans into a mountain cave. One group tried to leave, but was destroyed. To eliminate those who remained in the cave, special forces moved out: they had to climb mountain slopes at an altitude of three kilometers, and once walk waist-deep in icy water along the bottom of the canyon. Two soldiers fell off the rocks and died, but the special forces managed to approach the Gelayevites and set up a stronghold in a nearby crevice. First, the militants were covered with mortars and then finished off in a short battle.

Versions of the death of Gelayev himself vary somewhat. Musienko claims that they managed to shoot the terrorist from a helicopter when the main detachment had already been destroyed. According to another version, Gelayev nevertheless escaped from the encirclement, tried to enter Georgia alone, but died in a shootout with two border guards.

Special Operations Forces Day is celebrated on February 27 among professional holidays and memorable days in the Russian Armed Forces in accordance with the decree of the President of the Russian Federation of February 26, 2015.

On this day, February 27, 2014, armed people in camouflage without identification marks over the building of the Supreme Council and the government of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which at that time was part of Ukraine, and in subsequent days over the airport in Simferopol and other strategic objects on the peninsula.

In addition, they helped ensure order and security during the March 16, 2014 referendum on the annexation of Crimea to Russia. The emphasized correctness of their behavior led to the emergence of the expression “polite people.”

On April 17, 2014, answering questions from citizens during the “direct line,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said that we are talking about Russian military personnel who “correctly, decisively and professionally” provided conditions for the free expression of the will of Crimeans. Since then, the phrase “polite people” has become synonymous with those who serve in the Russian Special Operations Forces (SSO).

By special operations as a form of use of the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation understands the coordinated actions of specially trained and equipped forces using methods and methods of combat operations that are not typical for conventional troops. These are reconnaissance and sabotage, subversive, counter-terrorism, counter-sabotage, counter-intelligence, partisan and anti-partisan actions and others.

SOF are kept in constant readiness for immediate use and can solve problems in peacetime, in conflict situations and during war, operating both as part of heterogeneous forces in the theater of military operations and independently. The operations they carry out, as a rule, are secret in nature and are under the direct control of senior military leadership or commanders-in-chief of the armed forces in theaters of war.

A relatively new holiday is celebrated in Russia today. By presidential decree, starting last year, February 27 is Special Operations Forces Day. One of the most combat-ready units of the Russian army was created to perform the most difficult tasks anywhere on the planet.

All operations are usually classified. But after the “Crimean spring” a little more became known about “polite people”. One of the creators of super-special forces agreed to lift the veil of secrecy in a conversation with a Channel One correspondent. Journalists visited the Center for the first time, where fighters undergo training.

Going to film on this festive day for the Special Operations Forces in the distant Moscow region, at the base of this unit, the journalists were counting on something at least vaguely reminiscent of festive events. Instead, the film crew was offered a short forced march to the training ground. So, reporters celebrated the first anniversary of Special Operations Forces Day, approved by Presidential Decree, or, as the State Duma initially proposed to call this holiday, Polite People Day, in combat training conditions.

Special Operations Forces. One of the most secret military units in Russia. The events in Crimea in 2014 brought him wide fame. It was then that those same “polite people” came to the aid of the peninsula’s self-defense. For the first time, journalists were able to visit their training base. Immediately a warning - journalists can only show some of the skills of special forces, but not all. And no questions about the composition of the unit, its structure, or the places where the soldiers did or are doing their work right now.

“I believe that special forces should keep silent, basically. Publicity is probably not needed by special forces. Professionals understand from the results who did what. Sometimes the appearance of special forces only in the area of ​​conflict, it stops the war. This is much more valuable,” - Oleg Martyanov, commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Russian Armed Forces in 2009-2013, is confident.

Oleg Martyanov is the first commander of the Special Operations Forces, and this is almost his first television interview. Retired colonel. In the 80s - commander of a special forces company in Afghanistan. Awarded military orders. Injured.

Rare video footage: special forces soldier Martyanov 23 years ago, in 1993, during the collapse of the Russian army. Then he, then still an active military man, even had to play a role in a feature film. Today Oleg Viktorovich says that the idea of ​​​​creating Special Operations Forces - essentially a new type of army special forces - originated back in 1999. The novelty was that the fighters had to fight equally well both under water and on land, and in completely different climatic conditions - mountains, deserts, the Far North, and, naturally, parachute to any point on the planet.

“Of course, the main task is to work abroad. And in fact, there is enough such work,” says Oleg Martyanov.

From what can already be declassified. Special operations forces, for example, took an active part in the fight against Somali pirates who attacked Russian ships.

“If we talk about details, it probably takes time, 10-15 years, when they will talk about it in more detail. Experts know this. I am proud that our guys were one of the first, probably in the world, to succeed in the Yemen region take these pirates alive,” says Oleg Martyanov.

Oleg Martyanov developed, among other things, a training system - now, for example, sniper groups train on equipment developed for Olympic shooting teams. He came up with some technical devices for landing from high altitudes, when a landing party from seven thousand meters in full armor can glide up to 40 kilometers using special parachutes. The special forces themselves call Oleg Martyanov the founder of their unit.

“I categorically want to abandon the word “founder,” because the decision to take the next step in the development of the Special Operations Forces was made by the leadership of our country in 2009. Having analyzed the experience of actions in 2008, actions in the North Caucasus, an understanding has come of what is needed next develop. It is generally accepted that special forces are those who break bricks with their heads. In fact, in the units where I served, they didn’t break bricks with their heads. There they saved their heads in order to think," says Oleg Martyanov.

Today, the Special Operations Forces are one of the most equipped and trained army groups in Russia, whose task is to protect the interests of our country anywhere in the world at any time.

On February 27, our country celebrates a very young military-professional holiday. It's Special Operations Forces Day. And “very young” is putting it mildly, because officially this holiday appeared on the holiday calendar thanks to a presidential decree exactly a year ago – on February 27, 2015. Day of Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (SSO AF RF) is the official name of the holiday, although, as reality shows, Russians are much more familiar with the concept of Day of Polite People. Since the Crimean Spring, the concept of “polite people” has become synonymous with truth, liberation, lightning-fast reactions depending on circumstances, and precise implementation of assigned tasks - without fuss and ill-considered steps.

The year of the beginning of the formation of the MTR of the RF Armed Forces can be considered 2009. It was then that the first management structures began to appear within the Armed Forces, under whose command the formation of the Special Forces of the Russian Armed Forces subsequently took place, characterized by high mobility, special technical equipment and equipment, designed to perform tasks to protect Russian interests both within the country and abroad. outside.

In 2009, the Special Operations Directorate was formed, which was directly subordinate to the Chief of the General Staff. Three years later, the Directorate was transformed into the Command of the Special Operations Forces of the Russian Armed Forces.

The Special Operations Forces themselves began to appear within the Russian Armed Forces in 2013. In March 2013, a training center for special forces fighters began to be created in the Moscow region, who became, in fact, the first representatives of the MTR personnel of the RF Armed Forces. Today, there are several army special forces training centers for the Special Operations Forces, and each of them allows you to acquire skills that become an indispensable arsenal for a SOF soldier during his possible participation in a particular special operation.

The Ministry of Defense today gives a clear concept of what needs to be understood by the term “special operation of troops (forces).” The definition looks like this:
Special operations of troops (forces)- a set of special actions of troops (forces) coordinated by goals, objectives, place and time, carried out according to a single concept and plan to achieve certain goals. Special actions of troops (forces) - activities carried out by specially designated, organized, trained and equipped forces that use methods and methods of combat operations that are not typical for conventional forces (reconnaissance and sabotage, subversive, counter-terrorism, counter-sabotage, counter-intelligence, partisan, anti-partisan and other actions ).

Soldiers of Special Operations Forces units are selected from various types and branches of the military to operate in both peacetime and wartime. Preference is given to those soldiers serving under a contract who already have some experience in performing tasks as part of special units.

It was they - polite people - at the end of February 2014 who helped the Crimeans defend their land from the Maidan evil spirits, who were already about to arrive on the peninsula on the so-called “train of friendship” - with bats and other “friendly” attributes. The people's squads of Crimea, made up of concerned citizens (although can any of the patriotically minded Crimeans be called indifferent at all), announced that they were ready to meet the Right Sector activists and other representatives of the Maidan horde. However, the forces could have turned out to be unequal, and the Russian military personnel who came to the aid of the Crimeans politely and clearly explained to those who tried to jump around and smoke tires that the Maidan stunt would not work in Crimea and Sevastopol.

The Right Sectors and other Maidan foulbrood never dared to implement the previously developed plan to raise the peninsula to their ears, which still causes a storm of indignation among those who already dreamed of NATO military bases in Crimea and complete anarchy in power.

Today, SOF fighters of the Russian Armed Forces undergo stages of special training during various exercises. Training sessions are conducted in the Arctic, at mountain ranges, in conditions as close as possible to combat conditions.

Soldiers of the Special Forces of the Russian Armed Forces also took part in a large-scale check of the combat readiness of units and formations of the Southern Military District, when the Airborne Forces formations were also raised on combat alert. One of the exercises in which Russian military personnel took part took place in cooperation with Belarusian soldiers of the Special Operations Forces, which made it possible to exchange experiences and jointly solve the range of tasks set by the command.

"Military Review" congratulates the servicemen of the Special Operations Forces on their professional holiday!